crater lake

As the partial government shutdown drags on, the National Park Service is having a harder time keeping its Northwest jewels open. The last open gate at Mount Rainier swung shut until further notice on Sunday afternoon.

There will be free admission to all national parks from Thursday through Sunday to celebrate the 100th birthday of the National Park Service. President Woodrow Wilson signed the law creating the National Park Service on August 25, 1916.

About a dozen wildfires are currently burning around the Northwest. The Bybee fire is a small one at 50 acres. It is uncontained and sending up smoke on the west side of Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon.

The governors of Washington, Oregon and Idaho say they have no plans to reopen national parks and monuments using state dollars. President Obama has given states that option as the federal government shutdown stretches into day 11 and beyond.

Utah immediately took the president up on his offer. A $1.6 million check to the federal treasury allows the Beehive State to reopen several economically important national parks and monuments.

But here in the Northwest, tourist magnets like Mount Rainier, Crater Lake and Craters of the Moon remain closed.